Modern energy system is the key to solving the problem

China Energy Storage Network News: "The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is the most seriously polluted area in the country in terms of air and water pollution, the area with the most scarce water resources and the largest groundwater funnel, and the area with the most acute contradictions between resources, environment and development. These problems are the biggest challenges facing the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei at present and in the future." Xie Kechang, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, head of the Energy and Environment Group of the Expert Advisory Committee for the Coordinated Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recently stated at the inauguration ceremony of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Green Development Research Institute of Beijing University of Technology that it is imperative to improve and protect the ecological environment of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The development positioning of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is to adjust and optimize the energy structure and build a modern energy system as soon as possible.

Clean and efficient use of coal is imperative

Xie Kechang believes that excessive resource and energy consumption in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is mainly reflected in the high density of fossil energy consumption, unreasonable energy structure, and low efficiency of unit energy output.

Relevant research by the Chinese Academy of Engineering believes that a major direction for the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is to intensify efforts to promote the revolution in energy production and consumption, and to accelerate the clean and efficient use of fossil energy and the replacement of scattered coal. In this regard, Xie Kechang said that it is necessary to reach a basic understanding that the status of coal as the main energy source will be difficult to change in the long term in the future. It is too early for the post-coal era, and it is not advisable to de-coalize without considering national conditions and energy conditions. Coal needs a revolution, but it does not mean "revolutionizing coal". The direction of the coal revolution is to achieve clean, efficient and sustainable development and utilization of the entire coal industry chain.

Due to market shrinkage, disorderly competition, overcapacity and pressure to reduce emissions, the coal industry is facing great difficulties, which has affected the closely related power industry.

"Economic development has the regularity of cyclical fluctuations, and China's energy structure is mainly coal-based and has a rigidity that is difficult to change in the short term. As a cyclical industry, it is unrealistic for China's coal and coal-fired power to have permanent peaks and troughs." Xie Kechang said that the predicament is not a desperate situation. It is imperative to vigorously promote the clean and efficient use of coal. The energy production and consumption in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei should prioritize environmental protection, ecological restoration and air pollution prevention and control, and establish an awareness of ecological red lines and a bottom line thinking for environmental quality.

"We must fully realize the necessity and urgency of promoting the revolution in energy production and consumption, and develop clean and efficient coal power generation technology within the overall framework of the strategy of clean, efficient and sustainable development and utilization of coal, guided by the new energy security concept." Xie Kechang said that first, according to the maturity of technology and the technical roadmap, the application promotion, demonstration test and concentrated research list of clean and efficient coal power generation technology should be regularly announced to promote the integration and industrialization of innovative technologies in the field of clean and efficient coal power generation with high-tech in other fields. Second, we should take the environment and resource carrying capacity as constraints, attach importance to the research and development of clean and efficient power generation technology of low-quality and inferior coal, and prevent the increase of pollution caused by the burning of inferior loose coal due to the crowding out of high-quality coal resources by power plants.

In this regard, Xie Kechang particularly pointed out that in scientific development, it is necessary to transform coal production from on-demand production to scientific development based on scientific production capacity, based on the actual resource and environmental carrying capacity of each major coal producing area, and focus on developing green mining technologies and equipment such as water conservation mining, backfill mining, and surface subsidence area management. In addition, in clean utilization, attention should be paid to stock improvement and incremental optimization. Focusing on power station boilers and industrial boilers, we will comprehensively promote the comprehensive technical upgrading and transformation of coal-fired boilers, and resolutely eliminate backward coal-fired boiler products. And give priority to large-capacity, high-efficiency, ultra-low emission generators and high-efficiency industrial boilers to improve the overall level of clean and efficient use of coal.

Attention should be paid to geothermal and rural energy issues

The reporter learned from the Expert Advisory Committee for the Coordinated Development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region must strengthen the integration of regional energy planning in the future, strengthen the government's leading and coordinating role in the organization and implementation of energy planning, actively advocate "Internet +" regional energy, innovate operating models and business models, actively promote the revolution in traditional energy technology, provide systematic solutions for regional cooling, heating, electricity and other energy needs, and improve energy utilization efficiency.

"Renewable energy is an important and indispensable component of the modern energy system. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region should build on its resource advantages and actively develop regional geothermal resources," said Xie Kechang.

Geothermal energy is a non-mobile regional clean energy and a way to solve the problem of scattered coal in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. The geothermal resources in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are rich and have great development potential. The annual exploitable geothermal heat is equivalent to 343 million tons of standard coal, of which 92 million tons are shallow, equivalent to 94% of the total coal consumption in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei in 2014. There are currently 10 proven geothermal fields in Beijing, 8 in Tianjin and 30 in Hebei.

Xie Kechang said that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region needs to speed up the formulation of relevant plans and standards to regulate the development of the industry. According to the principles of temperature matching, cascade utilization and "taking heat but not water", deep, medium and shallow geothermal resources should be developed in a scientific and orderly manner. Single-well circulation collection of shallow geothermal energy should be promoted in villages and towns according to local conditions. Deep geothermal combined with sewage source heat pumps, industrial waste heat and solar energy should be promoted in cities for joint heating. New industries integrating geothermal heat and cooling should be vigorously developed to promote the recycling of resources and solve the pollution caused by coal-fired heating. At the same time, we must resolutely avoid the secondary ecological environmental damage caused by geothermal development.

"Without a rural energy revolution, there will be no real national energy revolution." Xie Kechang also pointed out on the spot that it is of vital importance to carry out the rural energy revolution in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and establish a sound rural energy system.

Rural energy is an important part of my country's energy system. In 2013 alone, my country's rural energy consumption was 778 million tons of standard coal, accounting for 20.8% of the country's total. However, rural energy has always been a weak link in my country's energy system, with a series of problems such as structural imbalance, serious pollution, backward facilities, low efficiency, and difficulty in providing universal services.

In this regard, Xie Kechang called for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to speed up the promotion of clean coal replacement projects. Unify the quality standards of loose coal, strengthen supervision at all links, implement a negative list system for suppliers, and ensure the supply of clean coal. Develop household photovoltaics, large and medium-sized biogas and other clean energy according to local conditions, solve the problem of haze caused by straw burning in rural areas in autumn and winter, and optimize the energy structure of farmers. It is also necessary to pay attention to the construction of a comprehensive rural energy service system, including a statistical system, a technical training system, and the upgrading and transformation of rural power grids.